Bombay High Court pulls up Maharashtra govt over drought situation, to pass order on May 20

The petition was filed in the court two-and-a-half years ago by one Sanjay Patil, who alleged the state government has failed to do much to provide relief.

The court has now said that it will pass an order on Monday regardless of the presence of the state government lawyer.&nbsp

Mumbai: Taking a strong view, the Bombay High Court has pulled the Maharashtra government for not appearing in court over the severe drought situation in the state.

The petition was filed in the court two-and-a-half years ago by one Sanjay Patil, who alleged the state government has failed to do much to provide relief. The petitioner has sought from the court setting up of independent disaster management committees in each district of the state.

Patil has sought the implementation of the 2016 disaster management guidelines which listed various measures to be taken by the state government to tackle natural calamities and disasters, including drought.

The court has now said that it will pass an order on Monday regardless of the presence of the state government lawyer. The High Court bench then posted the matter for further hearing on May 20.

The petitioner has alleged that absence of government lawyer during hearings is a tactic by the state government to delay the case. The petitioner also alleged that the government is waiting for monsoon rains as once the monsoon arrives, the gravity of the situation is likely to decrease. This is the sixth consecutive year that parts of Maharashtra have been facing severe drought situation.

Earlier, the Bombay High Court has sought to know from the state government what measures it has taken to tackle drought in the state. At least 42% of the land area in the state is reeling under drought. 82 lakh farmers in 24,000 villages have been affected by the lack of rains.

The eight districts of Marathwada region in central Maharashtra are the worst affected. Marathwada is facing its 4th drought since 2014. With only 21 per cent of live water storage available in the dams, the drought has affected nearly 12,000 villages.

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Bombay High Court pulls up Maharashtra govt over drought situation, to pass order on May 20 Description:The petition was filed in the court two-and-a-half years ago by one Sanjay Patil, who alleged the state government has failed to do much to provide relief.Times Now